Lifetime Achievement Award to Prof. Roe-Hoan Yoon

The IMPC Lifetime Achievement Award (LAA) "recognises a lifetime of distinguished achievement and outstanding contribution to the advancement of the art, science and industrial practice of mineral processing together with participation in and contribution to the IMPC".

At last night's IMPC Gala Dinner in Santiago the LAA was awarded to Prof. Roe-Hoan Yoon, a University Distinguished Professor at Virginia Tech. He earned his B.S. degree from Seoul National University (1967) and his M.S. (1971) and Ph.D. (1977) degrees from McGill University. He worked as a Research Scientist at the Canada Center for Minerals and Energy Technology (CANMET) from 1976 to1978 and joined the faculty of Virginia Tech in 1979. He currently serves as Director of the Center for Advanced Separation Technologies (CAST).

Prof. Yoon with Profs. Juan Yianatos and Cyril O 'Connor

Prof Yoon with previous recipients of the LAA, Prof. Janusz Laskowski (2008),
Prof. Doug Fuerstenau (1995), and Profs. Forssberg, O'Connor and Yianatos

Early in his career, his research focused on fine particle flotation, which led to the development of the Microcell flotation columns that are widely used in industry today, and also on the electrochemistry of sulfide mineral flotation.  During the last 25 years, Prof. Yoon has been focusing on the study of hydrophobic interactions, which have led to the development of new collectors, dewatering aids, a first-principle flotation model, and new separation processes. More recently, his research group developed a new instrument for visualizing bubble-particle interactions with a nanoscale resolution, which is useful for studying both the hydrodynamic and surface forces affecting flotation. His flotation model can be used to design a flotation circuit on the basis of information on mineral liberation, flotation cell hydrodynamics, and the reagents used. These research activities have resulted in over 330 technical publications, 13 book chapters, 1 book, more than 40 plenary and keynote papers at national and international meetings, and a number of Congressional testimonies. He has advised 40 Ph.D. students, 36 M.S. students, and around 40 post-doctoral fellows and visiting scholars. To date he has more than 70 U.S. and international patents to his credit, many of which have been commercialized through license agreements. He is a member of the National Academy of Engineering (NAE) and has won numerous awards, including the prestigious Gaudin (2003) and Richards (2007) awards.

Prof. Yoon is a very worthy winner of this award, and I extend hearty congratulations on behalf of MEI.

Tuesday evening in Santiago

The second day of the IMPC ended late afternoon with a General Body Meeting of the IMPC, where is was announced that the IMPC in 2018 will be held in Moscow. The next congress, in 2016, will be in Quebec City.

Then a complete change of scene, with an evening of culture at Castillo Hidalgo on Santa Lucia Hill, where we were entertained with a classical piano-opera concert, following a cocktail function.

 

Monday evening in Santiago

After a long day of technical presentations it was really good to relax over a few drinks at the evening IMPC 2014 Official Welcome Cocktail.

 

Sunday in Santiago

Delegates have been arriving from all over the globe today for the IMPC which starts tomorrow at the Sheraton Hotel and Convention Centre in Santiago, Chile.

Barbara and I arrived yesterday after a 32 hour journey from Falmouth, but after a good night's rest we walked into downtown Santiago this morning, then spent the afternoon relaxing and catching up with a few familiar faces by the hotel's excellent bar and pool.

The evening's International Reception was a welcome ice-breaker in preparation for the next four days.

 

Susan Woodward, a good friend of CSM

En route to Chile I have just received this email from Sheila Parker, wife of the late Roger Parker, Vice-Principal of the Camborne School of Mines (CSM).

"Past students of CSM will be sad to learn that Susan  Woodward died on the 5th. of October, 2014.  She used to rent half of her farmhouse to students each year - on the condition that they would help her to round up stray bullocks, and help with her famous " wine tasting and food" evenings which raised so much money for cancer research.

Many students came to love Susan and the farm, often returning in later years to stay in one of her holiday cottages with their families.

Her daughter, Sally, will be staying at Rayle Farm for a while to carry on the business."


Barbara and I got to know Susan only in the last few years, and together with many others we attended her funeral yesterday in Illogan. She was a lovely brave lady and we offer our condolences to her family.

Devon Mining Sundowner- October

As I will be in Chile, I will miss next week's Cornish Mining Sundowner, but here are a couple of photos I have received of last week's Devon Mining Sundowner at Hemerdon village.